New research shows that overweight or even mildly obese people have a lower risk of early death than people considered to be normal weight.

Researchers examined the results of 97 studies. Most of the studies were less than 10 years old. They included almost three million adults from around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Taiwan, Brazil, India and Mexico.

The researchers at the National Center for Health Statistics found that people who are considered overweight or slightly obese were five to six percent less likely to die from all causes than people of normal weight. People with higher obesity ratings, however, had almost a 30 percent greater risk of death compared to normal-weight individuals.

Katherine Flegal was the lead author of the study. She says she was not surprised that overweight people would not have a higher risk of death.

“Because we’d actually already read a lot of this literature and realized it was likely that mortality rates (死亡率) for overweight would be at least not higher than normal weight. I guess I was a little bit surprised that it was definitely lower. And I was also surprised that the lower rates of obesity also didn’t seem to differ from normal weight.”

But she says the difference in death rates appears to be small between normal-weight people and those who are overweight or mildly obese.

The study has raised new questions about “body mass index,”（体重指数） or BMI. This is a measurement of body fat as a ratio（比率） of height to weight. In recent years, many public health experts have promoted body mass index as a way to predict the risk of health problems. Bu t a person's BMI can be misleading in some cases.

Steven Heymsfield ,the executive director of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, says people can be physically fit and in good health, but might weigh more because they are more muscular.

Still, Dr. Heymsfield says people should not think gaining extra weight is OK just because of the new findings. He says being at a healthy weight lowers the risk for heart disease and diabetes（糖尿病）.

1.According to the new findings, the researchers found that __________ .

A.People with high obesity have a lower risk of early death than people with low obesity

B.People with overweight have a greater risk of early death than people of normal weight.

C.People with mild obesity are less likely to die than people of normal weight.

D.People with obesity live much longer than people of normal weight.

2.What does the underlined word “literature” in paragraph 6 mean ?

A.works like novels and poems

B.books and articles on a particular subject

C.printed material

D.magazines and newspapers

3.Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?

A. BMI is commonly used to measure body fat as a ratio of height to weight.

B. Not all people with a little higher BMI are fat .

C. Many public health experts encourage more people to use BMI as a way to predict the risk of health problem

D. Because of the ne w findings, people should think about gaining extra weight.

New research shows that overweight or even mildly obese people have a lower risk of early death than people considered to be normal weight.
Researchers examined the results of 97 studies. Most of the studies were less than 10 years old. They included almost three million adults from around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Taiwan, Brazil, India and Mexico.
The researchers at the National Center for Health Statistics found that people who are considered overweight or slightly obese were five to six percent less likely to die from all causes than people of normal weight. People with higher obesity ratings, however, had almost a 30 percent greater risk of death compared to normal-weight individuals.
Katherine Flegal was the lead author of the study. She says she was not surprised that overweight people would not have a higher risk of death.
“Because we’d actually already read a lot of this literature and realized it was likely that mortality rates (死亡率) for overweight would be at least not higher than normal weight. I guess I was a little bit surprised that it was definitely lower. And I was also surprised that the lower rates of obesity also didn’t seem to differ from normal weight.”
But she says the difference in death rates appears to be small between normal-weight people and those who are overweight or mildly obese.
The study has raised new questions about “body mass index,”（体重指数） or BMI. This is a measurement of body fat as a ratio（比率） of height to weight. In recent years, many public health experts have promoted body mass index as a way to predict the risk of health problems. Bu t a person's BMI can be misleading in some cases.
Steven Heymsfield ,the executive director of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, says people can be physically fit and in good health, but might weigh more because they are more muscular.
Still, Dr. Heymsfield says people should not think gaining extra weight is OK just because of the new findings. He says being at a healthy weight lowers the risk for heart disease and diabetes（糖尿病）

1. 1.

   According to the new findings, the researchers found that __________

   1. A.
      People with high obesity have a lower risk of early death than people with low obesity
   2. B.
      People with overweight have a greater risk of early death than people of normal weight
   3. C.
      People with mild obesity are less likely to die than people of normal weight
   4. D.
      People with obesity live much longer than people of normal weight
2. 2.

   What does the underlined word “literature” in paragraph 6 mean ?

   1. A.
      works like novels and poems
   2. B.
      books and articles on a particular subject
   3. C.
      printed material
   4. D.
      magazines and newspapers
3. 3.

   Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?

   1. A.
      BMI is commonly used to measure body fat as a ratio of height to weight
   2. B.
      Not all people with a little higher BMI are fat
   3. C.
      Many public health experts encourage more people to use BMI as a way to predict the risk of health problem
   4. D.
      Because of the ne w findings, people should think about gaining extra weight

This is a dangerous world we live in. The number of murders goes up every year, people are dying of cancer, more people contract HIV, more teens are using drugs, ect. You know this because you’ve heard all the statistics on the news and in the paper. But do you really have an accurate idea what they mean? The numbers are going up, but how do they compare to the growth in population? Are more cases of these diseases being reported because of better testing techniques, or are the diseases more common? The fact is that without knowing the background statistics mean very little.

This growing trend of reporting only part of the information is becoming dangerous. For example, several years ago a high school student reported the dangers of the chemical known as dihydrogen monoxide. This chemical, found in most cancerous tumors, is often found in the blood of people drunk on alcohol, and causes complete physical and mental dependence for those who take the chemical even once. After reading his report, more than 75% of his Advanced Placement Chemistry class voted to forbid this dangerous chemical! Every one of the above statement is true, yet this chemical is necessary to all life on earth. The students made a mistake because they voted knowing only a few statements and statistics, rather than the chemical’s full background.

The point of this article is that one should be aware of what is and is not being said. When one finds a new fact or number, one should try to consider other important information before forming an opinion with only half-truths. Always remember that the author is trying to convince you of his or her own view, and will leave our information that is different from his view. For example, look again at the statistics that suggest skiing is safe. Only 32 people die each year when skiing, while 897 die from lightening strikes, but which is really more dangerous? If you think more about it, you will realize far fewer people go skiing each year than the number of people in danger of a lightning strike. When you think about it again, skiing is more dangerous than you might at first think when looking at the statistics. If we teenagers are to be left in this world, we had better be able to think critically, and form our own views, rather than be easily persuaded by another’s. to be warned is just to be prepared.

1.What’s the author’s attitude towards the growing trend of reporting only part of the___________ information?

A.sapproving   B. Positive       C. Indifferent     D. Dangerous

2.In the first paragraph, what does the writer suggest?

A.We are now living in a dangerous world.

B.We get a lot of false statistics from the media.

C.There are around us more and more murders diseases, ect.

D.Statistics alone without full background don’t give us an accurate picture of things.

3.What’s the purpose of the writer’s using the two examples in the second paragraph?

A.To argue that high school students are easily persuaded.

B. To prove what is necessary to us might be dangerous.

C.To show the danger of reporting only part of the information.

D.To warn us of the harmful substance around us.

4.Relative information is often left out because ___________________. 

A.it is not important

B.the author is trying to show what he or she says is true

C.readers will consider other important information

D.readers are able to form an opinion with half-truths

5.What can we learn from the passage?

A.Some measures must be taken to protect our dangerous world.

B.The growing trend of reporting only half-truths is getting out of control.

C.Teenagers ought to improve their ability of telling right from wrong.

D.We should learn to think critically and look at problems from all sides.

Australia has passed regulations that will enable more international students to further their education in the country.

    The new measures were released by the Australian Department of Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations in September and will take effect in mid-2012.

    As a result, the student visa(签证) application process for overseas students has been simplified, and the deposit(押金) required to study in Australia has been reduced. Language requirements for overseas students have also been eased.

    Also, overseas students receiving a higher education in Australia will be given a working visa lasting from two to four years after graduation, as long as they meet the basic IELTS requirement.

    “This change will definitely make Australia a more attractive destination for Chinese students planning to study overseas,” says Wang Lan, an expert from Education International Cooperation Group(EIC), a Beijing-based company that provides services to students wishing to study overseas.

    However, in the past few years, many of Wang's student clients(客户) could not start studies in Australia because they did not meet the language requirements, visa processing took a long time and deposit regulations were difficult. The change in policy is good news for the parents of students wishing to study in Australia, Wang says.

    A 22-year-old female student surnamed Li, in Beijing, who is planning to do her postgraduate studies in Australia, learned about the policy change several weeks ago.

    “According to the previous deposit requirement for my student visa, my family was required to put down 550,000 yuan($86,850). Now we only need to prepare 410,000 yuan. This is a relief for my parents,” Li says.

    She also says that the two to four years working visa makes her feel much clearer about her study plans.

    “I believe several years of working experience abroad will strengthen my competitiveness when I return to China,” she says.

    Gaining a competitive advantage is the major reason for Chinese students to study abroad, according to the report by EIC.

1.What’s the main idea of the passage?

   A. Language requirement for overseas students have been eased in Australia.

   B. Australia is a most attractive place for students in China.

    C. Australia widens window of opportunity for international students.

    D. More students will work in Australia after their graduation.

2.After the new regulations are passed,                .

   A. more students will come to Australia to work

   B. more Chinese students will choose to live in Australia

   C. the opportunities to work in Australia decrease for overseas students

    D. more Chinese students will choose to further their education in Australia

3.How much can Li’s parents save according to the new regulations?

   A. 550,000 yuan.      B. 140,000 yuan.  C. 410,000 yuan.       D. 86,850 yuan.

4.Why do many students want to work in Australia after their graduation?

    A. The working experience abroad will strengthen their competitiveness.

   B. They can earn more money in Australia.

    C. Their working experience can make them stay in Australia forever.

    D. They have to do so according to the new regulations.

It was Monday. Mrs. Smith's dog was hungry , but there was not any meat in the house.

Considering that there was no better way. Mrs. Smith took a piece of paper, and wrote the following words on it：“Give my dog half a pound of meat.”Then she gave the paper to her dog and said gently：“Take this to the butcher（* person whose job is selling meat）and he's going to give you your lunch today.”

Holding the piece of paper in its mouth, the dog ran to the butcher's. It gave the paper to the butcher. The butcher read it carefully, recognized that it was really the lady's handwriting and soon did it as he was asked to. The dog was very happy, and ate the meat up at once.

At noon, the dog came to the shop again. It gave the butcher a piece of paper again. After reading it, he gave it half a pound of meat once more.

The next day, the dog came again exactly at noon. And as usual, it brought a piece of paper in the mouth. This time, the butcher did not take a look at paper, and gave the dog its meat, for he had regarded the dog as one of his customers.

But, the dog came again at four o'clock. And the same thing happened once again. To the butcher's more surprise, it came for the third time at six o'clock, and brought with it a third piece of paper. The butcher felt a bit puzzled . He said to himeself,“This is a small dog. Why does Mrs. Smith give it so much meat to eat today？”

Looking at the piece of paper, he found that there were not any words on it！

1.Mrs. Smith treated her little dog quite  　　　.

2.It seemed that the dog knew well that the paper Mrs. Smith gave it 　　　.

3.The butcher did not give any meat to the dog  　　　.

4.From its experience, the dog found that  　　　.

5.At the end of the story, you'll find that 　　　.